Ground contact for vehicles



Oct. 9, 1934.

H. WLTERS GROUND CONTACT FCR VEHICLES Filed Oct. 6. 19325 vINVENTOR. HelzefzZ' VVaZZ'efrs.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GROUND CONTACT FOR VEHICLES Herbert Walters, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 6, 1933, Serial No. 692,437

11 Claims. (Cl. 175-264) This invention relates to improvements in jecting tongue 8; the inner face of the casing is ground contacts for vehicles, and refers more radially split throughout its circumference as particularly to ground contacts to beemployed shown at 9 for the introduction of an annular on such vehicles as gasoline trucks. pneumatic tube 10. 10a denotes a conventional 5 It is an object of the invention to provide a air valve which extends from the tube 10 through 60 ground contact for vehicles whichy is electrically the casing 'l and extends through an aperture 6a connected to the latter and so mounted that a formed primarily for other reasons not Connected portion thereof made of electric conducting mawith the present invention in the Spider 6- -terial is at all times in contact with the ground. Around the inner radially split portion 9 of the l0 Another object of the invention is to provide casing 'l and formed integral with the latter are 65 a ground contact for vehicles consisting of a opposed inwardly projecting flanges 11 against resilient annular member housed between dual the outer faces of which rings l2 are arranged. wheels of a vehicle and having its periphery Extending transversely through. the rings 12 made of electric conducting material which is and flanges 11 are a plurality of bolts 13 by which electrically connected to the said vehicle so that the said flanges are held together. 70

a portion of the said periphery is always main- 14 denotes the peripheral portion of the inventained in Contact With the ground by the resilition and consists of a plurality of segments 15 ence of the said member irrespective of the demade of electric conducting material. Throughgree of ination of either or both of the tires out their length the inner faces of these segments upon the dual Whee1S are radially grooved to receive a portion of the 76 A further objeCt of the invention iS to provide casing tongue 8, and for a short distance from a ground Contact for vehicles which is very duraboth extremities of each segment the latter are lele7 eiiloient in operation, and relatively Cheap laterally stepped so that the extremities of adto manufacture. jacent segments may be arranged in overlapping With these and other objects and advantages relation as shown at 15a. Extending through 80 in view which will become apparent as the specieach oveapping pair of stepped Segment exoetion Proceeds, the invention iS hereinafter tremities and through the tongue 8 is a bolt 16. more fully described with the aid of the accom- In Order to permit movement of the segments Danying dreWing, in Whioh relative to one another as the casing '1 expands or so Figure 1 illustrates a sectional View of dual contrasts the openings 17 formed through the seg- 85 wheels showing the invention, also in section, ments 15 for the passage 0f the bolts 16 are mounted between them. ekmgated.

Figure 2 is a partial side view of the invention, A suitable lead 18 is bolted, or otherwise suitably and secured to the spider 5 so as to make an electrical Figure 3 shows a portion of the periphery of connection therewith. This lead 18 is also ar- 9o the inVentioi'lranged so as to make contact with one of the Referring to the draWing, l and 2 deSgIlete segments 15, and is in the present instance held portions of two ordinary tires which are coaxialagainst one of the segments by one of the bolts ily arranged and are mounted upon rilnS 3 and 4 16. 19 denotes a washer around a bolt 16 to which 40 respectively. The rims 3 and 4 are Supported by one extremity of the lead 18 is secured. 95

annular spiders 5 and 6 respectively. The sides From the foregoing it will be clearly seen that 0f these Spiders are inwardly inclined towards the casing 7 is held between the inwardly conone another and their inner annular portions rest verging sides of the annular spiders 5 and 6 by against one another and are suitably held towhich the dual wheels, consisting of the rims 3 gether. The above described construction is and4 and the tires 1 and 2, are supported. More- 10o one commonly employed in the manufacture and over this arrangement insures the concentric suparrangement of dual wheels and is shown in conport of the said casing around the dual wheel .nection with the invention since the majority of axis. The nation of the tube 10 in the casing heavy trucks now employed for hauling gasoline '7 insures a maintenance of ground contact by and the like are to-day equipped at the rear with the peripheral portion 14 irrespective of the de- 105 dual rather than single wheels. grec of inflation of the tires 1 and 2, and the The ground contact consists in part of an anmounting of the peripheral portion upon the nular casing 7 made of rubber or other resilient pneumatic casing protects the segments 15 material. 'Ihis casing is closed around its outer against excessive wear. The arrangement of face which is provided with an outwardly prothe casing and tube isalso such that they are sub- 110 jected to only a relatively slight amount of wear.

While in the foregoing the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and shown, it is understood that many alterations and modications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a resilient casing adapted to be mounted upon a vehicle, a peripheral portion made of electric conducting material mounted around said casing adapted to rotate upon the ground as the vehicle travels, and means adapted to connect the peripheral portion electrically to said vehicle.

2. A device of the character described comprising a resilient annular casing adapted to be rotatably mounted upon a vehicle, a peripheral portion of electric conducting material mounted around said casing adapted to rotate upon the ground as the vehicle travels, and means adapted to connect the peripheral portion electrically to said vehicle.

3. A device of the character described comprising a pneumatic annular casing adapted to be rotatably mounted upon a vehicle, a peripheral portion of electric conducting material mounted around said casing adapted to rotate upon the ground as the vehicle travels, and means adapted to connect the peripheral portion electrically to said vehicle.

4. A device of the character described comprising a resilient annular casing adapted to be mounted upon a vehicle, a plurality of overlapping segments made of electric conducting Vmaterial projecting outwardly from said casing, at least one of these segments contacting the ground at all times as the vehicle travels and means adapted to connect said segments electrically to said vehicle.

5. A device of the character described comprising an annular pneumatic casing adapted to be mounted upon a vehicle, a plurality of overlapping segments of electric conducting material around said casing adapted to rotate upon the ground as the vehicle travels, and means adapted to connect said segments electrically to said vehicle.

6. A device of the character described comprising a resilient annular casing. adapted to be mounted upon a vehicle, a circular tongue extending outwardly from the casing periphery, a plurality of segments of electric conducting material grooved to receive portions of said tongue and projecting outwardly from said casing, at least one of the segments contacting the ground at all times as the vehicle travels and means adapted to connect said segments electrically to said vehicle.

7. A device oi the character described comprising a pneumatic annular casing closed around its periphery and radially split around its inner circumference, a pneumatic tube in saidV casing, the latter being adapted to be mounted upon a vehicle, a peripheral portion of electric conducting material mounted around said casing and rotating upon the ground as the vehicle travels, and means adapted to connect said peripheral portion electrically to said vehicle.

8. A device of the character described comprising a pneumatic annular casing closed around its periphery and radially split around its inner circumference, inwardly projecting circular ilanges on both sides of the split portion, means holding said flanges contiguous to one another, said casing being adapted to be rotatably mounted upon a. vehicle, a pneumatic tube within said casing, a peripheral portion of electric conducting material extending around said casing and projecting outwardly therefrom said peripheral portion rotating upon the ground as the vehicle travels, and means-adapted to connect said peripheral portion electrically to said vehicle.

9. A device of the character comprising a pneumatic casing, said casing being adapted to be rotatably mounted upon a vehicle, a peripheral portion of electric conducting material mounted upon and projecting outwardly from said casing, said portion being adapted to rotate upon the ground as the vehicle travels, and a lead connected to said peripheral portion adapted to be also connected to said vehicle.

10. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of dual wheels adapted to be mounted beneath a vehicle, annular spiders supporting said Wheels and lying adjacent one another, an annular exible casing supported between said spiders, peripheral portions of electric conducting material projecting outwardly around said casing and adapted to rotate upon the ground as the vehicle travels, and means adapted to connect said peripheral portion electrically to said vehicle.

11. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of dual wheels adapted to be mounted beneath a vehicle, annular spiders supporting said wheels and lying adjacent one another, an annular pneumatic casing supported between said spiders, a pneumatic tube within said casing, overlapping segments of electric conducting material mounted around said casing and projecting outwardly therefrom, said segments each in turn contacting the ground as the wheels and casing turn, and means connected to one of said segments for electrically connecting the latter with said vehicle.

HERBERT WALTERS. 

